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Abstract:

An emoticon input method and mobile terminal are provided. A message
writing display is provided for a user. A character input menu for
inputting characters and an emoticon input menu for inputting emoticons
are displayed along with the message writing display. When the user
selects the emoticon input menu, an emoticon input mode is entered. A
plurality of emoticon groups is displayed in the emoticon input mode.
Each of the plurality of emoticon groups includes a plurality of
emoticons. When an emoticon group is selected from among the plurality of
emoticon groups, a plurality of emoticons included in the selected
emoticon group is displayed. When at least one emoticon is selected from
among the plurality of emoticons included in the selected emoticon group,
the at least one emoticon selected by the user is displayed as part of a
message.

Claims:

1. An emoticon input method adapted for a mobile terminal, comprising the
steps of: providing a message writing display for a user; displaying a
character input menu for inputting characters and an emoticon input menu
for inputting emoticons along with the message writing display; when the
user selects the emoticon input menu, entering an emoticon input mode;
displaying a plurality of emoticon groups in the emoticon input mode,
each of the plurality of emoticon groups including a plurality of
emoticons; when an emoticon group is selected from among the plurality of
emoticon groups, displaying a plurality of emoticons included in the
selected emoticon group; and when at least one emoticon is selected from
among the plurality of emoticons included in the selected emoticon group,
displaying as part of a message the at least one emoticon selected by the
user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the message
including the at least one emoticon to another mobile terminal.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving a telephone number
of said another mobile terminal from the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of emoticons are images.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of emoticons are bitmap
images.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of emoticons are
downloaded into the mobile terminal from the Internet and stored in the
mobile terminal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of emoticons are
downloaded into the mobile terminal from a base station and stored in the
mobile terminal.

8. A mobile terminal for inputting at least one emoticon into a message,
the mobile terminal comprising: a display; a storage for storing a
plurality of emoticon groups, wherein each of the plurality of emoticon
groups includes a plurality of emoticons; and a controller for:
controlling the display to provide a message writing display for a user
controlling the display to display a character input menu for inputting
characters and an emoticon input menu for inputting emoticons along with
the message writing display; when the user selects the emoticon input
menu, entering an emoticon input mode; controlling the display to display
the plurality of emoticon groups in the emoticon input mode; when an
emoticon group is selected from among the plurality of emoticon groups,
controlling the display to display a plurality of emoticons included in
the selected emoticon group; and when at least one emoticon is selected
from among the plurality of emoticons included in the selected emoticon
group, controlling the display as part of a message the at least one
emoticon selected by the user.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the controller transmits the
message including the at least one emoticon to another mobile terminal.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the controller receives a
telephone number of said another mobile terminal from the user.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the plurality of emoticons
are images.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the plurality of emoticons
are bitmap images.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the plurality of emoticons
are downloaded into the mobile terminal from the Internet and stored in
the mobile terminal.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the plurality of emoticons
are downloaded into the mobile terminal from a base station and stored in
the mobile terminal.

Description:

PRIORITY

[0001] This application is a Continuation Application of U.S. application
Ser. No. 12/886,263, filed on Sep. 20, 2010, which is a Continuation
Application of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/002,919, filed on Nov. 15,
2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,835,729 issued on Nov. 16, 2010, which claims
priority to an application entitled "Emoticon Input Method for Mobile
Terminal" filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on Dec. 16, 2000
and assigned Serial No. 2000-77441, the contents of which are
incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates generally to a mobile terminal, and
in particular, to a method of easily inputting icons that represent
emotions (emoticons) of a user.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] In addition to telephone calls, a mobile terminal can provide a
variety of additional functions such as an SMS (Short Message Service).
The SMS enables short text messages to be exchanged between terminals (or
computers) regardless of whether the terminal of the other party is busy
or not. The relatively high cost of voice calls makes the SMS
cost-effective enough to substitute for the voice calls. A user inputs a
text message using the keys of the keypad on the terminal and transmits
it via the SMS.

[0006] The SMS, however, limits a Korean text message to 40 characters, as
well as limits the text message in other languages. Moreover only a few
specific small keys are used to input the text message. Therefore, great
amounts of time and effort are needed to input even a short message and
often the short message becomes an abbreviation of what a user intends to
express in the first place.

[0007] In an attempt to solve this problem, a mobile terminal may provide
a variety of special characters along with the standard characters and
digits. The characters and digits would vary with the programmed
language, e.g., Korean, English, etc. FIG. 1 illustrates input modes
supported by the conventional mobile terminal. As shown in FIG. 1, the
mobile terminal displays available characters/digits in each input mode.

[0008] The illustrated mobile terminal of FIG. 1 also has a shortcoming in
that a user must input a special character in a very complicated
procedure (i.e., mode conversion, entry of an intended special character,
input of key [CONFIRM], and etc.). Therefore, the conventional mobile
terminal has limitations in the input of characters or symbols which can
readily represent the emotions of a user in the form of an icon.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an
emoticon input method in a mobile terminal, which enables a user to
easily input icons that represent his emotions.

[0010] It is another object of the present invention to provide an
emoticon input method in a mobile terminal, which enables a user to
easily enter a plurality of icons that represent his emotions by use of a
series of special characters.

[0011] According to an aspect of the present invention, an emoticon input
method adapted for a mobile terminal is provided. A message writing
display is provided for a user. A character input menu for inputting
characters and an emoticon input menu for inputting emoticons are
displayed along with the message writing display. When the user selects
the emoticon input menu, an emoticon input mode is entered. A plurality
of emoticon groups is displayed in the emoticon input mode. Each of the
plurality of emoticon groups includes a plurality of emoticons. When an
emoticon group is selected from among the plurality of emoticon groups, a
plurality of emoticons included in the selected emoticon group is
displayed. When at least one emoticon is selected from among the
plurality of emoticons included in the selected emoticon group, the at
least one emoticon selected by the user is displayed as part of a
message.

[0012] According to another aspect of the present invention, a mobile
terminal is provided for inputting at least one emoticon into a message.
The mobile terminal includes a display, and a storage for storing a
plurality of emoticon groups. Each of the plurality of emoticon groups
includes a plurality of emoticons. The mobile terminal also includes a
controller for controlling the display to provide a message writing
display for a user. The controller controls the display to display a
character input menu for inputting characters and an emoticon input menu
for inputting emoticons along with the message writing display. When the
user selects the emoticon input menu, the controller enters an emoticon
input mode. The controller controls the display to display the plurality
of emoticon groups in the emoticon input mode. When an emoticon group is
selected from among the plurality of emoticon groups, the controller
controls the display to display a plurality of emoticons included in the
selected emoticon group. When at least one emoticon is selected from
among the plurality of emoticons included in the selected emoticon group,
the controller controls the display as part of a message the at least one
emoticon selected by the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present
invention will become more apparent from the following detailed
description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in
which:

[0015]FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a mobile terminal to which
the present invention is applied;

[0016]FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an emoticon input operation
according to the present invention;

[0017]FIG. 4 illustrates operational displays of the mobile terminal
according to the present invention; and

[0018]FIG. 5 illustrates groups of emoticons according to an embodiment
of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0019] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described
hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following
description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in
detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail.

[0020]FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a mobile terminal to which
the present invention is applied.

[0021] Referring to FIG. 2, a mobile terminal 10 includes a transmitter 11
with a modulator 21 and transmission amplifier 31 and a receiver 12 with
a reception amplifier 32 and a demodulator 22 in order to exchange
signals with a mobile communication system (not shown) that has a base
station, an MSC (Mobile Switching Center), and an SMS center. Also shown
is antenna ANT.

[0022] A display 16 outputs display data and text messages generated in
the mobile terminal 10. An LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) can be used as
the display 16. A key input portion 17 has a plurality of digit/character
keys, function keys for user interfacing, and keys for voice calls. A
keypad can be used as the key input portion 17.

[0023] A controller 13 includes a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), a
microprocessor, and other circuits that controls the transmitter 11 and
the receiver 12 to allow the user to conduct a voice call with another
user through a speaker 14 and a microphone 15. The controller 100 also
performs an emoticon input operation according to an embodiment of the
present invention.

[0024] A storage 18 is comprised of a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM
(Random Access Memory) for storing programs and data, and a voice memory.
The storage 18 stores an operation program for inputting emoticons and a
plurality of emoticons in the form of a bit map according to the
embodiment of the present invention. The plurality of emoticons are
stored by groups in the storage 18 to facilitate selection of emoticons.

[0025] An emoticon is defined as a hieroglyphic character that is formed
using a plurality of typical characters or special characters in
combination to represent a user's emotions. The term "emoticon" is a
compound word of emotion and icon (an image representing a computer
program function). Emoticons are part of a language unique to cyber
space, by which emotions, symbols, personalities, jobs, and objects are
represented by using characters, symbols, and digits available on the
keyboard of a computer. They are widely used in cyber space since they
are easily understood and easily facilitate a description of an
expression of subtle emotions of a user.

[0026] Emoticons are usually divided into two categories: oriental ones
used among Asians including Koreans and Japanese, and occidental ones
mainly used in the U.S. and 10 Europe. Vertical hieroglyphics prevail in
the former case, whereas horizontal ones prevail in the latter case.
Therefore, storage 18 stores oriental or occidental emoticons according
to the cultural area of a user.

[0027] In general, 2000 emoticons are used respectively in Asia and the U.
S. & Europe and up to 50 emoticons are standardized. To ease selection,
emoticons are stored by groups in a mobile terminal. Emoticon groups can
be formed as shown below, for example:

[0037]FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an emoticon input procedure
according to the present invention and FIG. 4 illustrates operational
displays in a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

[0038] Referring to FIG. 3, a user enters an emoticon input mode by
manipulating keys in a mobile terminal in step S10. The mobile terminal
sequentially displays pre-stored emoticon group names as a user scrolls
through a menu in step S20 and determines whether the user has entered a
group select key in step S30. If a key other than a group select key is
input in step S30, the mobile terminal performs an operation
corresponding to the key input in step S35. Upon input of the group
select key in step S30, the mobile terminal sequentially displays the
emoticons of the selected group as a user scrolls through a menu in step
S40. In step S50, the mobile terminal determines whether the user has
entered an emoticon select key. If the user enters a key other than an
emoticon select key, the mobile terminal performs an operation
corresponding to the key input in step S35. Upon input of an emoticon
select key, the mobile terminal stores as part of a short message an
emoticon selected by the input emoticon select key in step S60.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 4, a procedure of displaying an emoticon
representing a smile will be described. When the user invokes a message
management function by pressing a predetermined key, for example, a
message hot key, a display 1 is provided. If the user selects "2.
outgoing message" by manipulating a directional key or a digit key in the
display 1, a display 2 is provided. Then, if the user selects "2. write
mail" in the display 2, a display 3 is provided. If the user selects "1.
write new text" in the display 3, a display 4 is provided.

[0040] When the user presses a predetermined input mode conversion key,
for example, [MENU], a display 5 is provided. The display 5 displays the
other input modes available from the mobile terminal, that is, an English
capital input mode, an English small input mode, a special character
input mode, and an emoticon input mode. If the user selects "emoticon" in
the display 5, the mobile terminal enters the emoticon input mode (S10 of
FIG. 3) and displays the names of pre-stored emoticon groups, that is,
smile, love, happiness, greeting, and etc. in a display 6 (S20 in FIG.
3).

[0041]FIG. 5 illustrates emoticon groups according to an embodiment of
the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the emoticons are grouped into
smile, love, happiness, greeting, and fear, though only the emoticons for
smile and love are shown.

[0042] If the user selects "smile" in the display 6 by manipulating a
left/right directional key, emoticons that belong to the group "smile"
are displayed in a display 7. When the user chooses one of the "smile"
emoticons " . " in the display 7, the selected emoticon is stored as part
of the short message as shown in a display 8. Then, the user can input a
text including typical characters, special characters, or emoticons
within the range of a transmittable SMS message, by changing input modes.

[0043] After an intended text is completed, the user instructs the mobile
terminal to transmit the SMS message including the emoticon " . ". That
is, when the user finishes the SMS message writing by pressing a key
[CONFIRM], enters the telephone number of the other party, and then
presses the key [CONFIRM], the mobile terminal transmits the stored
message. After transmission of the message, the mobile terminal can store
the transmitted message according to user control and then returns to an
initial phone display.

[0044] Emoticons can be subdivided into upper groups and lower groups. The
upper groups can be expression, person, animals, reptiles/amphibia, fish,
insect, plants, food, and characters. For the upper group "expression",
the lower groups can be smile/love/happiness/fear.

[0045] A plurality of emoticons are pre-stored in a mobile terminal so
that a user easily select an intended emoticon in the present invention.
In another embodiment, the user can add hieroglyphics to basic emoticons
stored by a manufacturer. The hieroglyphics can be stored in three ways:
the user directly stores them, receives them from a base station and the
stores them, or downloads them from the Internet. The user can change and
edit the emoticons stored in the mobile terminal.

[0046] The present invention has the following advantages:

[0047] (1) The present invention increases interest in writing a message,
outgrowing the simplicity of transmission of only a text message by
facilitating input of hieroglyphics without the need of selecting special
characters, special symbols, and digits one by one, and facilitating
storage of the hieroglyphics.

[0048] (2) Emoticon messages are written in a shorter time than writing a
text message as well as forming hieroglyphics by selecting special
characters, symbols, and digits one by one, because emoticon groups are
effectively classified and their indexes are used in writing the emoticon
messages. The emoticon input method of the present invention gives a
great satisfaction to users due to its convenience and originality.

[0049] While the invention has been shown and described with reference to
a certain preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those
skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made
therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as
defined by the appended claims.